News from the New York State and Local Retirement System

Tag Archives: Tier 2

Looking for some perfect summer beach reading? Why not check out these page-turners from NYSLRS? They’re light on colorful characters and exotic settings. But, what they lack in plot intrigue, they make up for in important retirement information.

1. Service Credit for Tiers 2 through 6

Service credit is one of the main components that determine your NYSLRS pension. Whether you’re a new member or well into your career, it’s important to understand what it is, its role in your pension calculation and the various types of service for which Tier 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 members can receive credit. ( Read it now. )

2. Retirement Plan for ERS Tier 3 and 4 Members (Articles 14 and 15)

Nearly 300,000 Tier 3 and 4 members of the Employee’s Retirement System (ERS) are covered by this plan. The publication explains some of the benefits and the services available to you, including a service retirement, a vested retirement, a disability retirement, death benefits and more. ( Read it now. )

3. Membership in a Nutshell

NYSLRS membership can be overwhelming when you first join. There’s new terminology: What’s a tier or service credit or a final average salary? There are services like loans and benefit projections as well as new responsibilities like keeping your account information up to date. This guide will help you navigate NYSLRS and your new retirement plan. ( Read it now. )

4. Retirement Plan for ERS Tier 6 Members (Article 15)

More than 130,000 Tier 6 ERS members are covered by this Plan. The publication explains some of the benefits and the services available to you, including a service retirement, a vested retirement, a disability retirement, death benefits and more. ( Read it now. )

5. Life Changes: A Guide for Retirees

Already retired? As a NYSLRS retiree, you know that you will receive a monthly retirement benefit for life. However there may be other benefits available to you, as well as services that we provide retirees. This guide will answer many of the questions you may have and explain your responsibilities as a retiree. ( Read it now. )

Not covered by the retirement plans above? Maybe you’re a police officer, a firefighter, a sheriff or a correctional officer. Find your plan as well as publications covering other general topics of interest on our Publications page. They’re great reading any time of year.

NYSLRS, comprised of the Employees’ Retirement System (ERS) and Police and Fire Retirement System (PFRS), had 652,324 members as of March 31, 2017. Our members are State, local government and school district employees from across New York, including 617,143 in ERS and 35,181 in PFRS. Eighty-one percent of our members are active, which means they were on a public payroll as of March 31.

As new public employees come on board and more Tier 3 and 4 members reach retirement age, Tier 6 is expected to represent the majority of NYSLRS members in a few years.

Tier 6 includes members who joined NYSLRS since April 1, 2012. In just five years, they’ve grown to more than 174,000 members, making up 26.7 percent of total membership.

Here’s a look at our membership by Tier, as of March 31:Tier 1: NYSLRS’ oldest tier, whose members first joined the system before July 1, 1973 (July 31 for PFRS members). Tier 1 now represents only one half of 1 percent of our membership. There are only 54 Tier 1 PFRS members remaining.

Tier 2: With 29,186 members, Tier 2 represents 4.5 percent of membership. More than 87 percent of Tier 2 members are in PFRS.

Tier 3&4: Tiers 3 and 4, which have similar retirement plans, represented nearly 90 percent of membership just seven years ago. The 392,699 Tier 3 and 4 members now make up 60 percent of the total. (Note: There is no Tier 4 in PFRS.)

Tier 5: Tier 5 covers members who joined in a period of a little over two years (January 2010 through March 2012). With 53,118 members, Tier 5 now represents 8.1 percent of membership.

Tier 6: This tier covers both ERS and PFRS members who joined since April 1, 2012. Its ranks have grown by nearly 29 percent over the past year.

Did you become a member of the Employees’ Retirement System (ERS) before July 1, 1973? If you’re still working in public service, you’re one of the 3,508 active members in Tier 1. If you joined after July 1, 1973 but before July 27, 1976, then you’re one of 4,127 active members in Tier 2.

Most ERS Tier 1 and Tier 2 members are in the New Career Plan (Section 75-h or 75-i). Currently, 96 percent of active Tier 1 members and almost 95 percent of active Tier 2 members are covered by this plan. Here’s a quick look at the benefits in the New Career Plan:

Benefit Eligibility

Tier 1

Members must be at least age 55 to be eligible to collect a retirement benefit.

There are no minimum service requirements — they may collect full benefits at age 55.

Tier 2

Members must have five years of service and be at least age 55 to be eligible to collect a retirement benefit.

The full benefit age is 62.

Almost 95 percent of active Tier 2 members are covered by the New Career Plan (Section 75-h or 75-i).

Final Average Salary

Final average salary (FAS) is the average of the wages earned in the three highest consecutive years of employment. For Tier 1 members who joined NYSLRS June 17, 1971 or later, each year used in the FAS calculation is limited to no more than 20 percent above the previous year’s earnings. For Tier 2 members, each year of earnings is limited to no more than 20 percent above the average of the previous two years’ earnings.

Benefit Calculations

For Tier 1 and 2 members, the benefit is 1.66 percent of the FAS for each year of service if the member retires with less than 20 years. If the member retires with 20 or more years of service, the benefit is 2 percent of the FAS for each year of service.

Tier 1 members and Tier 2 members with 30 or more years of service can retire as early as age 55 with no reduction in benefits.

Both Tier 1 and Tier 2 members who worked continuously from April 1, 1999 through October 1, 2000 receive an extra month of service credit for each year of credited service they have at retirement, up to a maximum of 24 additional months.

When you joined the New York State and Local Retirement System (NYSLRS), you were assigned to a tier based on the date of your membership. There are six tiers in the Employees’ Retirement System (ERS) and five in the Police and Fire Retirement System (PFRS) – so there are many different ways to determine benefits for our members. Our series, NYSLRS – One Tier at a Time, walks through each tier and gives you a quick look at the benefits members are eligible for before and at retirement.

NYSLRS created Tier 2 on July 1, 1973, marking the first time NYSLRS created any new member group. Today’s post looks at one of the major Tier 2 retirement plans in ERS. ERS Tier 2 as a whole represents less than one percent of NYSLRS’ total membership.

If you’re an ERS Tier 2 member in an alternate plan, you can find your retirement plan publication below for more detailed information about your benefits:

Be on the lookout for more NYSLRS – One Tier at a Time posts. Next time, we’ll take a look at another ERS tier. Want to learn more about the different NYSLRS retirement tiers? Check out some earlier posts in the series:

Today’s post looks at Tier 2 in the Police and Fire Retirement System (PFRS). A majority of PFRS members are in Tier 2, which began on July 31, 1973 and ended on June 30, 2009. Most Police and Fire Retirement System members are in “special” retirement plans that allow for retirement after 20 or 25 years, regardless of age, with­out penalty.

The special plans that cover municipal police officers and firefighters fall under Sections 384, 384(f), 384-d, and 384-e of Retirement and Social Security Law. As of March 31, 2017, there were 18,553 Tier 2 members in these plans; most of whom are covered by either Section 384-d (34.9 percent) or 384-e (62.8 percent).

Check out the graphic below for the basic retirement information for PFRS Tier 2 members.